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Turkey responds to shelling attack with artillery fire into Syria

BEIRUT — Turkey said Wednesday that it had retaliated with artillery
fire against neighboring Syria after a shelling attack from Syria struck a
Turkish border town, killing five people.

The Turkish response was the most serious escalation to date in what had been an angry
war of words between Turkey and Syria stemming from Syria’s 18-month civil
conflict.

Turkey has called for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar
Assad, once a close ally.

The retaliatory attack raised
the possibility of a wider armed conflict between the two nations, which
share a more than 500-mile border. Both have large military forces.

There was no immediate public response from Syria.

Turkish authorities
reportedly asked for an emergency
meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies about the incident.

A statement from the office of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish artillery had “immediately” fired “on points in Syria that
were detected with radar, in line with the rules of engagement,” the
Associated Press reported.

The statement appeared to allude to Turkish tracking of shells
from Syria that Wednesday hit the Turkish border town of Akcakale, killing
five civilians and injuring at least 8
other Turks, including several policemen. The official Anadolu Turkish news
agency said the shells were fired by the Syrian military.

The shelling provoked outrage in Turkey. Residents of the town
marched on the offices of the local district governor and demanded action.

Syrian rebels had previously occupied the Syrian border town of
Tal Abyad, just across the border from Akcakale. Syrian forces had been
shelling the Syrian border town in an apparent attempt to target rebels.

After news of the
casualties on the Turkish side, word came late in the evening that the
Turks had retaliated with artillery fire against Syria.

Turkey has beefed up its forces after several cross-border incidents stemming from Syria’s ongoing civil
strife. In June, Syrian antiaircraft batteries shot down a Turkish fighter jet
off the Syrian coast. Two Turkish pilots were killed.

[Updated 4:50 p.m. Oct. 3: Turkey did not disclose where their retaliatory strikes were aimed. But Syrian
rebels said Turkish batteries were striking Syrian artillery positions just
across the border from Akcakale, where the five civilians were killed.

A Syrian rebel official who goes by the
name of Abu Muatasem said Turkey had
fired dozens of shells at a Syrian artillery emplacement near the Syrian town
of Tal Abyad, which is adjacent to Akcakale. Syrian rebels seized Tal Abyad two weeks ago, but Syrian forces have continued
to bombard rebels based there. The Turkish artillery barrage appeared
to put an end to the Syrian military shelling, the rebel official said.

Late Wednesday, Syria’s
official state news service said Syrian
authorities were investigating the source of the attack that killed the Turkish citizens. Syria offered “sincerest condolences” to the
Turkish people.]